Exposed: Thieves stealing from cars, Geelong’s most popular crime

Surfers had their lockboxes smashed as new data reveals Geelong’s most popular crime. See the people who faced court for some of those crimes.

Alexander Blain

6 min read

October 28, 2024 - 6:00AM

Geelong Advertiser

People who faced court for stealing out of cars.

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Surfers had their car lockboxes smashed at a popular beach in Barwon Heads but the wannabe thieves failed to make off with any vehicles.

The report comes as new data reveals breaking into cars was Geelong’s most popular crime.

Residents reported least three car lockboxes were smashed while the owners were surfing at Thirteenth Beach on Saturday.

One of the victims, David Philip, said he was shocked his key had been taken from his box.

“You don’t expect it and the car park was chockers,” he said.

“Fortunately they didn’t steal anything, but then apparently they broke two more lockboxes shortly after.

Barwon Heads resident returned from the surf in the morning when a friend fund his key outside the lockbox.

“Fortunately they didn’t do anything to my car, I think they were disturbed,” he said.

“To think we used to leave the keys in the car.”

Fellow Barwon Heads resident Penny Andrews who was in the car park at the time said it was not an isolated case.

She said her lockbox was smashed while she was surfing about two years ago.

“Using a lockbox is basically giving your keys to the thieves,” she said.

Analysis released by Sydney-based law firm Astor Legal, which looked at thousands of crimes across the country, has revealed the five most common crimes in Geelong.

In the 2023-24 financial year, Geelong experienced 16,000 crimes, the third highest number in Victoria.

The crimes ranged from dishonesty and violence to drug and breaches of court orders.

The five most common offences in Geelong were theft from motor vehicle (1916 offences), criminal damage (1577 offences), breaching a family violence order (1,439 offences), other theft (1,384 offences) and shoplifting (1190 offences).

Across the state, theft offences represented over a third (38 per cent) of reported Victorian crimes, according to Astor Legal’s analysis, more than double the next biggest category – breaches of orders (12 per cent).

These orders can include family violence orders, bail conditions and intervention orders.

The next highest category of reported crimes is assault and related offences at 11 per cent. The City of Greater Geelong also saw the highest number of certain kinds of offences in Victoria, including resist or hinder officer (284) and breaching an intervention order (176).

Here are some of the thieves who have fronted court in the past two years after stealing from cars

Nicholas Jakubzik

Nicholas Jakubzik. Picture: Facebook.

A serial thief, Nicholas Jakubzik made a habit of breaking into cars, among other dishonest behaviour.

During an abandoned appeal against a sentence imposed by the Geelong Magistrates Court, the court heard Jakubzik stole from unlocked cars in peninsular townships.

In October 2023, he broke into a white Holden Trax at a home in Clifton Springs, making off with a wallet, bank cards and even a $50 cinema voucher he found inside.

Several months later in December, he stole from a car in Leopold, taking items include a MacBook, iPad, and a sports bag containing sports equipment.

Jakubsik made hundreds of dollars worth of purchases with bank cards stolen during his offending.

When interviewed by police in January, Jakubzik acknowledged his offending, stating: “yeah, I’ve done stupid s--t like that”.

Jakubzik was sentenced to jail by a magistrate and appealed his sentence, however he ultimately abandoned his appeal and decided to stay in jail because he didn’t want to complete a CCO.

Jackson Haberman. Picture: Facebook

Another repeat offender, Jackson Haberman, was nabbed breaking into cars outside Geelong police station, minutes after being released.

The thefts were part of a spree that a magistrate described as “relentless” and “carnage”.

Haberman fronted Geelong Magistrates Court in April, where he was sentenced to a year behind bars over 44 charges he pleaded to, followed by a CCO.

Haberman had been arrested in January this year, following a spate of thefts from cars in Armstrong Creek.

He was bailed and released to appear in court at a later date, and moments later was captured on CCTV trying to unlock an Audi outside the station, before climbing into an unlocked Kia.

Days later, he was caught in a carpark near Stead Park in Norlane attempting to break into another car.

The court heard Haberman had PTSD, an intellectual disability and was “plagued” by drug use.

His abuse of ice and GHB, among other drugs, meant he couldn’t recall his offending.

READ MORE.

Thomas Hoare

Thomas Hoare. Geelong Court.

Thomas Hoare was high on drugs as he roamed Geelong carparks looking to steal, a court heard.

Hoare appeared in Geelong Magistrates Court in May last year, where he pleaded guilty to theft and obtaining property by deception.

Hoare and a co-accused stole a number of items from a Toyota Corolla on Park St, including a wallet, bank cards, selfie sticks, a gym bag and sunglasses.

Hoare used the stolen bank card to buy almost $250 worth of items from a 7/11 at 3.30am, before the pair of thieves were confronted by a security guard who noticed them looking through cars in a hospital carpark.

Hoare threatened the guard, telling him: “if you are not police, you can get f----d” and “don’t be a hero, or I’ll stick a blade in you”.

Hoare was sentenced to a 12 month community correction order without conviction.

Aaron Little

Grovedale’s Aaron Little pleaded guilty in Geelong Magistrate’s Court in August to a number of incidents including stealing items from a parked car at the Italian Sports Club in Werribee on June 20.

Little and another man arrived at the venue in a stolen Jeep Cherokee, which had been nicked four days earlier.

They spent 25 minutes inside the club, but couldn’t resist pilfering some tools from the car parked next to them.

In January, Little was caught in the shed of Grovedale Primary School.

At his plea hearing, Little’s lawyer told the court her client had turned to drug use to cope from the sudden death of a friend and had been at a “low point” in his life at the time of the offending.

Little had begun to clean up his act and rehabilitate himself, and was self-detoxing, the court heard.

Magistrate Urfa Masood commended the actions he’d taken to get his life back on track following his arrest, and placed him on a good behaviour bond.

Amanda Dower Picture: Facebook.

Breaking into cars isn’t just a man’s game, with women also appearing in court on similar charges.

Geelong mum Amanda Dower fronted Geelong Magistrates Court in January last year, where she pleaded guilty to charges including theft and drug possession.

The court heard that in December 2021, Dower and a co-accused broke into a car in Torquay and nicked a number of belongings, including a bank card.

Immediately afterwards, the pair went to a 7/11 where Dower’s co-accused bought drinks and cigarettes and Dower bought an iced coffee.

Dower then used the card to buy cigarettes in Belmont, before attempting to use it once more at Kmart, but it had been cancelled.

Dower’s lawyer told the court Dower had taken steps to get back on the straight and narrow and had left Norlane, broken off relationships with negative influences and stopped using drugs.

Dower was placed on an adjourned undertaking for 18 month, without conviction, and ordered to pay $500 to the court fund.